1. Field of the Invention
Archery targets must be designed to allow penetration of arrows in order to stop arrows and maintain them in the position where they strike the target. Repeated penetration of sharp tipped, high velocity arrows causes damage which eventually degrades the target. Because of the expense of target replacement, there is great interest in developing targets having increased service life. The present invention pertains to an improved archery target having a free floating central core which absorbs arrow impacts without penetration, thus increasing the service life of the target.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of archery targets are known in the prior art. A first type of target has a penetrable body formed by a spirally wound coil of grass strands, or a sYnthetic material such as plastic film. The theory of this design is that arrows will penetrate by sliding between the layers of the coil, without severing the strands. Friction of the arrow with the strands slows and retains the arrow. These targets are disadvantageous because they are heavy, the coil layers are actually cut and crushed by arrow impact, and the arrows are difficult to remove from the target. In the case of coiled grass strands, the target degrades rapidly from exposure to moisture and other environmental factors.
A second type of conventional target utilizes one or more layers of a penetrable foam material, such as expanded polYstyrene. Targets of this tYpe are deteriorated rapidly because arrow penetration rips apart the foam. Additionally, frictional engagement of the foam with the arrow makes arrow removal quite difficult.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such archerY targets, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.